Ghost Hunting as a Subculture

"Ghost Hunting" is not only an activity, but it is also a subculture. A Subculture is defined as:

     "a group having social, economic, ethnic, or other traits distinctive          enough to distinguish it from others within the same culture or              society." -Dictonary.com

By definition, Ghost Hunting is classified as a subculture. It has it's own basic beliefs, celebrities, shows and movies, books and magazines, and conventions. It even has it's own set of demographics, which is mainly adult white males.

This subculture is also part of a larger paranormal community. Not all people into the Paranormal are ghost hunters, but every investigator I know of is into the Paranormal. Investigators and paranormal enthusiasts have a wide range of beliefs, but with the uniting belief that there is something else out there. This could be  cryptozoology, UFO's, Ghosts, elementals, etc.

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Within the Ghost Hunting community, there are also varied beliefs and spiritualities. The main belief is that there is some concept of afterlife. There is a wide range of how people investigate as well. You have the mystics who rely heavily on sensitives or psychics, ghost boxes, and perhaps methods like seances or Ouija boards. There's also the people who operate exactly like it is on popular television shows like Ghost Adventures. They get really excited when they hear a noise or catch an "orb." Then there's people who acknowledge that the field is a pseudoscience but try to be as scientific as possible. Essentially all investigators have the main goal of helping people and finding answers. It's also a fun hobby to have.

Like any subculture, it has it's problems. There's a lot or rivalries between those who have conflicting views. There's many people who take themselves way too seriously, and they tend to get easily offended. There's also those oddball types who would believe anything.

If you're interested in getting involved with the paranormal subculture or ghost hunting, I recommend reading some books and talking to others who are interested in paranormal subjects. You can get involved with a local ghost hunting group or join online forums as well.

Below, I've listed a few popular books, celebrities, events, and websites within the subculture.

Fate Magazine:
Fate Magazine is all about various kinds of paranormal phenomena. Although it's not something that people tend to take seriously, it's very fun to read.

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The Everything Ghost Book: 

This is the book that I initially bought before becoming a paranormal investigator. I found it highly informative, and I recommend it to anybody. It shares a little about the history of ghost hunting, methods, equipment, types of spirits, popular ghost stories, etc.

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Paranormal Celebrities:

John Zaffis

John Zaffis is a very popular investigator from Connecticut. He has decades of experience with the paranormal, and he even has his own show called Haunted Collector.

Chip Coffey

Chip Coffey is an Atlanta-based psychic medium who is also a paranormal investigators. He also does readings and appears on the shows, Paranormal State and Psychic Kids. He also has a book called, Growing up Psychic.

Conventions:
It seems like  there's always a paranormal event going on somewhere.

Through the Veil: 
This event is an Atlanta convention for the paranormal and metaphysical. It is host to psychics, authors, ans investigators. They show documentaries, have speakers, and hold seances. I'd really like to attend this year, but tickets are expensive.

Scarefest:
Scarefest is a paranormal and horror event in Lexington, Kentucky. I've never been, but I had a friend who had a lot of fun there last year.

Websites:
[Your Ghost Stories]
[The Shadowlands]
[Unclear Paranormal Forums]

If you have any questions of anything to add, please comment down below!